


A Meeting of the Minds

by DemonicSymphony



Series: Minds [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Guide John, Guide Powers, M/M, Sentinel Senses, Sentinel Sherlock, Sentinel/Guide, Sentinel/Guide Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-12 05:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2097264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonicSymphony/pseuds/DemonicSymphony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sentinel Sherlock Holmes knows he needs a Guide, but no one can tolerate the flow of activity in his brain, or his personality.</p><p>Guide John Watson hasn't been able to Guide anyone since he was shot while working in a field hospital in Afghanistan.</p><p>Mike Stamford is a smart and scheming matchmaker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For [eialyne](http://eialyne.tumblr.com/) as part of the 2014 AU exchangelock.
> 
> Part of a larger work to come. 221 word prologue.
> 
> As always you can find me on tumblr at [DemonicSymphony](http://demonicsymphony.tumblr.com)

John pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat on his bed, listening to the voice on the other end of the phone. “No, no, I know I’m registered as a Guide.” He paused. “But I haven’t been able to Guide since I got shot! That’s why I’m in this bloody-”

His fist worked opened and closed as he nodded. “Right, yeah. Mhm. I’ll be there, Mike. Thanks.” He ended the call, tossing his mobile onto his pillow with a frustrated growl.

\---

“Mike, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Sherlock shook his head as he looked up from the microscope. His eyes narrowed as Mike slid his mobile back into his pocket. _I should have heard Mike on the phone _. A glance at the clock told him he'd zoned for approximately forty-five minutes.__

__Sherlock set his jaw as he started gathering his things. A trip to Mycroft was in order._ _

__Mike spoke as he watched Sherlock. “No, Sherlock, ah- don’t leave yet. I just got off the phone with Mycroft.”_ _

__Of _course_ he'd been speaking to Mycroft. “Damn it. What have you done, Stamford?”_ _

__“Mike?”_ _

__Sherlock locked eyes with John as all of his senses seemed to erupt before freezing._ _

__Mike smiled knowingly as he watched Sherlock. “Sentinel Sherlock Holmes. I’d like you to meet Guide John Watson.”_ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely [beltainefaerie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/beltainefaerie) for the beta work.

Sherlock stared at John unblinking before John was moving, swearing at Mike. “He’s bloody well zoning!”

John reached out on instinct to Sherlock with the power he’d not been able to access since he’d been shot, even though he’d tried. As soon as John’s hands touched Sherlock’s face, Sherlock took in a sharp breath and his eyes focused again. His hands flew up to touch John’s as the two were sucked into the harshest compatibility test either had ever been subjected to.

John stood in the middle of a marble foyer as something that looked like it should have come straight out of _Tron_ happened around him. It was chaos. Things crashed into one another and papers went sliding across the floor. At the top of the marble staircase in front of him, sat Sherlock, elbows on his knees and hands fisted in his hair. Furrowing his brow, John looked around. When he located the source of one of the repeated crashes, he used his toe to nudge the track over a hair, lining it up with the hallway. Immediately the flow stopped crashing and files started pouring into their room.

A small noise of surprise drew John’s attention back to Sherlock. With a quirk of his mouth in the corner, John reached out and adjusted another track, watching as it went from a brilliant red to a dull blue.

“Lot of red.” John looked around the foyer. “Whole place like this?”

Sherlock nodded as he let his hair go. “Thirty-six years without a guide.” He cleared his throat, gesturing around. “I’ve held onto it longer than most.”

“About ten years past, mate. It’s a wonder you’re even alive. Christ, but you’ve got control like I’ve never seen.” John tweaked tracks here and there, watching as more blue appeared. He made his way to the foot of the stairs and looked up. “John Watson.”

“You didn’t believe you could guide anymore. After you got shot it all went away. That’s what you did in the army as a doctor.” Sherlock stood and glided down the stairs.

John tilted his head up to stare up at Sherlock as they stood on the last step together. “That’s right. I’m surprised I’m in here to be honest.”

“Exceptionally strong Guide, but as of yet you’d been unable to form any sort of bond with any Sentinel by the time training was over. A rare Guide. An All-Guide able to overpower all Sentinel bond instincts you've come across and guide bonded Sentinels.” Sherlock smirked as he gazed down at John.

“And I expect you think you’ll just waltz right in and claim me then, will you?” John snapped as he glared up at Sherlock.

Sherlock’s smirk turned into a grin. “Oh no, not at all. See, I don’t like zoning, you seem exceptionally well suited to,” he looked around for a moment, “helping. I’ve a flat with an extra room on Baker Street. You could go back to guiding in an A and E, and perhaps help me do a little maintenance in here on occasion?”

John’s jaw dropped. His brow furrowed as he snapped his mouth shut and pursed his lips. “You’re thirty-six years old, have found a Guide strong enough to tame this mess and you’re not going to try and claim me?” He crossed his arms across his chest.

“By all means, John, if you’d like me to, I can try. But surely this is enough to start with?” Sherlock gestured around them.

A smile finally tugged up the corners of John’s mouth and he held out his hand. “Right, flatmates then?”

“Flatmates.” Sherlock agreed as he shook John’s hand.

Mike watched as John leaned back away from Sherlock, both men blinking. Sherlock ruffled his curls and stood. “Right. 221B Baker Street. I’ll meet you there.” He nodded to Mike and swept out of the room as though nothing had happened.

John stared over at Mike. “Bloody hell, a little warning.”

\---

That evening found John standing on the stoop of 221 Baker Street. He arched a brow at the B stuck on the door despite the door being the main entrance to the flats. He was about to ring the bell when the door opened and an older woman greeted him.

“Oh! Hello dear! Here to see Sherlock then? He’s just upstairs.”

John blinked as he shifted the duffle on his back and cleared his throat. “Yes, um-”

“Ooh, you must be John then. Yes, come in, come in. Upstairs with you. Sherlock told me he’d found a Guide. Oh, I’m so happy for you two. I’m Mrs. Hudson, your landlady.” She rattled on as she led John upstairs, not letting him get a word in.

“I’m not-” John tried for the fifth time as she patted Sherlock’s cheek and congratulated him before going back downstairs to make them tea ‘just this once’.

Sherlock looked up to find John looking ruffled. “Don’t mind Mrs. Hudson. She’s just glad she’s not going to find me zoned badly enough she has to call for an ambulance.” 

John nodded as he looked up the stairs. “So, ah- just up there then?” 

“Hm? Oh, yes, go right ahead. I’ve a case to work anyhow. Make yourself at home.” Sherlock turned his attention back to his notes, ignoring John. 

John shrugged and made his way up to the room. It was surprisingly large and John tossed his duffle on the bed. There was a small lav upstairs, so at least he had a toilet and sink to himself. God knows he’d shared enough showers that the shared space didn’t bother him. He hummed as he started putting away his things. Soon enough he was settled in and jogged back down the stairs.

“Sherlock, is there any-” John looked around at the empty flat. With a shake of his head he moved to the kitchen. He hummed as he opened the fridge and recoiled. “How the bloody hell does a Sentinel with no guide live with that kind of smell!?” A shudder ran through him as he slammed the door shut again. “Eyeballs. Wonderful.” 

“He always has had a bit of an experimental streak.” Mrs. Hudson set the tea tray down on the table.

“He experiments with eyeballs?”

“Oh, all sorts of things for the Yard. He left out a few minutes ago following that Detective Inspector. Greg’s such a nice boy, too. I thought maybe he’d be Sherlock’s guide. wasn’t meant to be. Anyhow, I’m going back downstairs. Welcome home, John. I’m so glad you’re going to take care of our Sherlock.” Mrs. Hudson was headed back down the stairs before John could protest he wasn’t Sherlock’s guide.

John prepared himself a cuppa, looking around at the messy place. He moved to the sitting room and settled in a comfortable looking plaid chair. “Somehow this suits that crazy git and the way his mind works.” John muttered to himself. His mouth twitched up in the corner and, for the first time since coming home, John relaxed.

He’d dozed off in the chair, unaware of the passage of time when his shields snapped into place and he startled awake to find himself staring at a posh Sentinel across from him. Everything about the man, though he physically didn’t seem much of a threat, screamed _danger_. He could feel the onslaught against him and he flung off every attack.

“What is your business with Sherlock Holmes?”

John stared at him and shook his head. “That’s none of _your_ business.”

“Oh, but it is, Doctor Watson.” The man held out a business card. “Mycroft Holmes. I work for the Tower. As of yesterday you were still listed as Muted after your incident in Afghanistan. Curious.”

With a twitch of his jaw, John took the card, looking down at it. _Mycroft Holmes Latent and Hidden Guide Division_ as he stared at Mycroft. “No one told me I had to report back if my Guiding powers came back. I did my job, I’m doing it now.”

Mycroft smiled, thin and dangerous as he leaned forward. “Sherlock is an unusual Sentinel. Why has he chosen you?”

“Look, mate, get off my back. Sherlock’s not my Sentinel, and I’m not his Guide. We have an arrangement. If you don’t like it. I really couldn’t give less of a fuck. I’m not stupid enough to think the last name is a coincidence either. Now, until your brother gets home and is willing to invite you in, kindly get the hell out of my flat with your thinly veiled threats.” John stood, staring Mycroft down.

With measured movements and a hand smoothing his suit, Mycroft stood. “Report to the Tower tomorrow to register again. Don’t make me come back here Doctor Watson. Royal London has an opening in A and E for a Guide like you. And-” he paused as he heard Sherlock thundering up the stairs. “I think you’ll find them very open to the schedule you’ll wind up keeping.”

“Get out, Mycroft.” Sherlock snapped as he yanked his scarf off. “You have no business here.”

“Ah, Sherlock. I have all the business in the world here. John Watson needs to come by the Tower in the morning to upgrade his status from Muted to Guiding again. Since he is an All-Guide, his skills are highly needed. He’s no longer fit for combat. However, as I was telling him, Royal London has an A and E opening that will fit the schedule you two will no doubt keep.”

Sherlock glowered at Mycroft for a moment and John could feel the pressure building in the room as the Sentinels squared off, tempers flaring. He struck without warning, taking the breath from both men as he lashed out with his Power, dampening and Muting them both. Two sets of eyes snapped to him in shock and John tilted his head up at a proud angle.

“Now, if you two are quite done with the pissing contest that was threatening to give me a migraine, I’d like to sit down with Sherlock and make some more adjustments in his mind. I’ll be at the tower in the morning, and by Royal London tomorrow afternoon. Now kindly _piss off_.”

Mycroft cleared his throat as John released them both and gathered his umbrella. “Sherlock, Doctor Watson. Until tomorrow.” He made his way downstairs and Sherlock rounded on John.

“You are a puzzle, John Watson.”

John sniffed and shrugged. “Just don’t like being woken up and attacked in what is now supposed to be my home.”

“Speaking of- I came home to get you. How would you like to pull a Sentinel out of a zone?” Sherlock seemed to near vibrate with excitement. “He’s our murderer.”

“What!? You want me to pull a murderer out of a zone?” John blinked at Sherlock as though he’d lost his mind. 

“Come along; the cab’s waiting!” Sherlock was already looping his scarf around his neck as he bolted back down the stairs. John sighed and followed along after him.

When they showed up at the Yard, Greg arched a brow. “This him, then?” 

Sherlock nodded and John was shown into a room where a Sentinel was restrained. John moved to him and touched his forehead. He reached out, starting to mute the Sentinel’s senses. The process of guiding him back out was delicate work. Dampening things and slowing the harsh flows of information the heightened senses were feeding the Sentinel was a time consuming process.

When the Sentinel came up from the zone, he snarled at John and lashed out. The physical reach was stopped by the bindings, but John was barely able to get his shields up in time. He clamped down on all of the Sentinels abilities, muting him again before looking up to Greg and Sherlock.

Greg was staring wide-eyed and had a hand on Sherlock, who was looking as though he’d murder the Sentinel strapped to the bed. Greg yelled for the Sentinel to be sedated. 

John kept the Sentinel down until the sedation took hold, leaving the Sentinel cut off from his senses, but conscious and swearing at John for meddling. He turned his ire on Sherlock, screaming at him to keep his Guide in line. "Guides like him are the ones who need to die! Can't mind their own business! The need to stay where they belong. I'm just culling the ones we let go too far!

“Well, Lestrade. It would seem John got you your confession too.” Sherlock reached out and wrapped a hand around John’s bicep, moving him from the room. When they were out he looked John over, tilting his face back and forth as though he could discern an injury. “Did he hurt you?”

“No- ah, no. I’m fine. I wasn’t expecting all that, but I’m fine. Was just a bit much is all.” John answered, dropping his guard enough to reach for Sherlock without realizing it. It wasn't until their minds brushed that both of them sighed in relief. They stood there for a few minutes shielding one another from everything else going on around them.

John cleared his throat. “Alright?”

Sherlock nodded. “You?”

John nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I was caught off guard at how quickly he recovered. He’s- It was dark. So bloody _dark_.” John ran a hand over his face. “I’ve only felt hatred like that in war.” The admission was soft as Sherlock checked him over one last time.

“Well, that’s enough to be going on for them. Lestrade will call us if he needs more. I know an excellent Thai place not far from here. We can pick up food on the way back to the flat.” Sherlock looped his scarf back around his neck and started for the lift.

A small smile quirked the corners of John’s mouth up. “Lay on, MacDuff and damned be him who first cries ‘Hold, enough!’” 

Sherlock turned to John as they entered the lift and tilted his head. “So many people get that quote wrong. Though we’ll hardly be fighting.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I can manage to pinch rather hard with chopsticks.”

\---

The next morning found John staring at the Tower. Quite literally in this case. There were Towers all over the world, but London’s was quite literally part of the ‘Tower of London’ complex. A long standing joke among those who used it. He showed his credentials to the Sentinel on guard at the gate. _Partial, hearing and sight_. John's senses kicked in as he passed. 

Once inside John was shown to a waiting area with only an assistant. It took him a moment to realize she was a powerful Sentinel as shielded as she was. He arched a brow at her and she spoke from behind the computer. “Mr. Holmes will be with you in a moment, Doctor Watson.”

John rolled his eyes and waited another three minutes before the office door opened. “Doctor Watson, please, do come in. I believe you know Mike Stamford?” Mycroft’s voice was smooth as John stood and made his way inside.

“Mike.” John held out his hand, looking a bit betrayed.

“Sorry, John, they called me in on this one.” Mike shook his hand before all three sat.

The process was far less painful than he’d thought it would be. There wasn't a much red tape as he'd feared there would be.

"Mike is there to record that he saw the compatibility meeting." Mycroft signed a document. "Since you two are compatible, there are documents he needs to sign.

“Now hold on!” John interrupted. “No one said anything about bonding!”

Mycroft held up a hand. “Doctor Watson. As no one else in either case has ever shown the ability to bond with either of you, this is merely a formality. If the two of you do not wish to bond, and can handle one another through whatever means you wish, the Tower does not care. But it does need to be recorded so that the two of you are not called in for mandatory tests on occasion. I am certain you remember what those are like.”

John rolled his eyes. “Yes. Annoying gits trying to convince me I need to help them, yes. I prefer to help without a bond.”

A small hum of approval left Mycroft. “And Sherlock does not wish to be held down by a bond. But the fact remains, you two seem to be one another’s only option. We need only record that you have found one another. The matter will be closed for Tower records.”

With a small, sharp nod, John acquiesced, signing the form put in front of him.

When it was all said and done, John had papers that had him already set up at Royal London. All he had to do was take them over and see when his first shift was. He shook his head, trying to get a handle on the sharp turn his life had managed to take because of Sherlock Holmes. In the end, he supposed, it would be wonderful to get back to work. He truly did enjoy Guiding and comforting those who needed it.

A few hours later found him walking out of the Tube station, headed for 221 Baker Street when his phone chimed. 

_Hurry up. The cab is waiting. We have a case! SH_

John stared at his phone, mouth twitching up into a smile before he took off at a run for Sherlock and the waiting cab.

It wouldn’t be until hours later, when they were collapsed together on the sofa that John would think to ask him how he’d known John was close by.

Sherlock went still and reached out with his mind to brush John’s. His voice was quiet. “I seem to be able to follow you through most of London. Tube’s a bit tricky… but I see when you pop back up out of it.”

John’s tongue slid over his lower lip and he cleared his throat. “Yeah, alright. At least I know if I get into trouble, you’ll be able to find me, yeah?” A small grin tugged up the corners of his lips.

The tension bled out of the situation and Sherlock smirked. “I could do that anyhow, hardly takes a connection. I am Sherlock Holmes after all.”

There was a small ‘oof’ from Sherlock when John smacked him with the flag pillow.

\---

The first time Sherlock and John sat down for John to look into sorting out his mind, John shook his head. “This is no good. I- come on, let’s get you comfortable in bed. I’d rather you be relaxed and not worried about you falling over out here.”

Sherlock eyed him for a moment before shrugging and moving to his feet. A few minutes later found the both of them curled on Sherlock’s bed, facing one another after John lost the argument about ‘not sitting in the ridiculously uncomfortable chair’

John reached out and wrapped his hands around Sherlock’s, preferring the physical contact to just trying to connect without it. It wasn’t the rush and the tug it had been the first time. Not the overwhelming sucking into Sherlock the compatibility joining had been. 

Sherlock’s mind was much as he had left it. Chaos seemed to reign supreme as John looked around. Sherlock descended the stairs with a small smile on his face. “John, welcome back.”

“Right, like I didn’t just see you two seconds ago.” John laughed.

“It is not the same and you know it.” Sherlock gestured around. “Shall we begin?”

A small smile tugged at the corners of John’s mouth as he guided Sherlock through his own mind. The two of them set the tracks right, easing them back in the directions they were supposed to go, even laying new track in places it had been irrevocably damaged by repeated crashes. Soon enough the front of Sherlock’s mind palace was a sea of greens and blues, not a speck of red in sight.

For the first time, Sherlock didn’t look as gaunt or haunted. Without thinking, John reached up and touched his cheek. “Rest, don’t come up when I leave. This will have taken a lot out of you physically too. Sleep for a few hours. I’ll wake you in time for tea”

To his relief, Sherlock did not argue. When John opened his eyes, he looked at Sherlock, noticing how his physical form reflected how much smoother things were running. Lines had melted off his face and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. John breathed a small sigh of relief before drawing his hands back and going to see what they might have on hand to make a proper tea with.

\---

Days passed, falling into weeks. The weather started turning colder and John and Sherlock settled into a routine. Well, as much of one as either of them could handle with Sherlock’s cases. John would spend a couple hours a week fine tuning Sherlock’s mind palace. Soon enough it only took a few minutes of them in each other’s company, John still present in the waking world, not fully submerged in Sherlock’s mind, to keep things ticking along nicely. Sarah, John’s co-worker, asked him about his Sentinel one day at lunch after she'd seen John with Sherlock.

John's brow furrowed as he looked at Sarah. “We’re not bonded.” 

Sarah went silent, staring at John as though he’d grown a second head. It took her a moment to recover. “John, have you seen how you two react to one another? You soothed him just by touching his wrist the other day. You sensed he was struggling.”

He shrugged as he fiddled with his tea. “It’s just how we are. I can Guide him when he needs it. Same as I do here.”

Sarah opened her mouth to refute the claim, but shook her head, dropping it. John was infinitely grateful when she moved on to talking about the date she’d set their coworker up on.

When John returned home that evening, Sherlock looked exhausted. Without thinking twice about it, John joined him on the sofa and reached for his face. Sherlock leaned into the touch when John cupped his cheeks. 

“John,” Sherlock murmured. “I’m glad you’re home.”

John smiled as he tipped his head to Sherlock’s, closing his eyes. “Long day?”

“A child.”

The wince John gave was involuntary and he brushed Sherlock’s mind, feeling everything drop away from them both. They didn’t move as they wrapped up, physically and mentally taking comfort in one another. 

John was unaware of the passage of time as he soothed Sherlock, keeping close to him. Eventually Sherlock pulled away and looked at John. He licked over his lower lip.

“Don’t go upstairs tonight.”

It took John longer to figure out what Sherlock meant than he’d later admit before he reached out and pulled him close by the back of his neck. The kiss was tender and the relief in the air palpable. When their shields dropped completely, there was a rush John almost couldn’t handle. He gasped against Sherlock as he was lifted and carried toward Sherlock’s bedroom. 

Sherlock kicked the door shut behind them.

Later that evening if Mrs. Hudson had to turn up the telly, well, that was alright with her, so long as her boys were happy.

The next day, when they woke, John didn’t feel any different and panic flooded him. They’d dropped their shields, they should have bonded, everything should have been different. Sherlock reached for him at the distress.

“John?” Sherlock’s voice was thick and heavy with sleep.

“We didn’t- Why didn’t we bond?” John’s voice was raw with something akin to panic and Sherlock sat up.

Sherlock’s brow furrowed as he reached for John and wrapped his arms around him. “Hey, shh. I can feel your distress.” 

John shook his head. “It doesn’t feel any different than it has from the beginning. You’re just there like you’ve alwa-”

They looked at each other as John trailed off. He nodded and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Bloody Mycroft and Stamford. I should have read that fucking paper.”

“What paper?” Sherlock murmured as he nuzzled John’s temple.

“Mycroft claimed it was only because no one else had ever shown an ability to bond with either of us. I signed it so that we wouldn’t be subjected to any more of the random compatibility screens” John sighed and shook his head. “Mike was there. Mike’s a bloody _Matchmaker_. He knew we'd bonded. The arse!”

Sherlock shook his head and chuckled, the sound low and rich. “You realize what this means, don’t you?”

John arched a brow as he looked up at Sherlock. “What?”

“All that posturing in my mind the first day and you were already mine.”

“Oi, shut it, you.” John dragged Sherlock to him, intent on kissing the smirk right off of his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I will continue the series now. However, I'm leaving the series to be subscribed to for now, just in case.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cover for "A Meeting of the Minds" by DemonicSymphony](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2111481) by [Lovesfic (me23)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/me23/pseuds/Lovesfic)




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